Applications of the slurry pumps

Slurry pumps are widely used in metallurgy, mining, coal, electric power, petrochemical, food, urban construction, environmental protection and river port dredging, reclamation and other sectors of the national economy.

Development History 

The pipeline hydraulic transportation technology of solid materials has a long history, and the long-distance pipeline transportation technology developed rapidly in the 1950s.

Due to the advantages of high efficiency, less land occupation, low cost and no pollution, this conveying method has been paid more and more attention by people. The United States, Brazil, Japan, the former Soviet Union, South Africa, Canada and other countries have successively built a number of hydraulic pipelines for solid materials.

According to the literature, from the 1950s to the early 1980s, there were 28 slurry transportation pipelines that were put into operation, with a maximum length of 440km. According to reports, the Wyoming-Arkansas coal pipeline planned to be put into operation in the United States in 1979 is 1,670km long, with an annual coal transportation capacity of 25 million tons.

It is also reported that the coal transportation pipeline of ETST Energy Systems in the United States is 2,500km long, with an annual coal transportation capacity of 3.7 million t. It was originally planned to be completed in 1985.

In 1980, the Soviet Union conducted a feasibility analysis on the Kuzbass coal pipeline. The pipeline was 2,500km long and the annual coal volume was 25 million tons. The slurry delivery concentration has developed from Cw=40%~60% in the 1950s to Cm=60%~70% in the early 1980s.

Due to the development of pipeline transportation technology, the demand for various types of solid-liquid pumps, which are essential for the hydraulic transportation of solid materials in pipelines, is increasing.

Companies engaged in the production of solid-liquid pumps outside of China

According to incomplete statistics, there are more than 300 foreign companies specializing in the production of solid-liquid pumps.

Many of them include Warman International Equipment Company in Australia, Goulds Pump Company in the United States, Worthington Pump Company in the United States, Holthuis Company in the Netherlands, Wirth Company in Germany All kinds of solid-liquid pump products produced by KSB and other manufacturers have advanced design, reasonable structure, high efficiency and long service life. They are widely used in conveying projects of various materials and enjoy a high reputation in the world.

Four types of solid-liquid pumps are mainly used in various industries

At present, various industries and other departments mainly use four types of solid-liquid pump products - centrifugal pump, reciprocating pump, diaphragm pump and screw pump.

Among these four types of solid-liquid pump products, centrifugal pumps account for the vast majority (about 80% of the total pump usage). The total investment cost and manufacturing cost of the centrifugal pump are low, the disassembly and assembly are convenient, and there is a tendency to be applied to long-distance pipelines.

In recent years, reciprocating pumps such as plunger mud pumps, Mars pumps, piston diaphragm pumps, oil or water isolated mud pumps, etc. have been developed and attracted people's attention. The total investment cost of this type of pump is 2 to 5 times that of a centrifugal pump, but the maintenance and operation costs are low, and it is suitable for long-distance pipeline transportation of high-concentration abrasive slurries such as concentrates and tailings.

Development direction of solid-liquid pump

With the development of the national economy, the demand for solid-liquid pumps is increasing, and the requirements for the performance range of varieties and specifications are also increasing. At the same time, great progress and great development have been made in the theoretical research of slurry pump, product development, manufacturing and product quality level.

As far as the centrifugal slurry pump product itself is concerned, it is developing towards high lift, large flow, high efficiency, long life, many varieties, wide performance, high degree of sanitation and rational use.